


Eclipsed

by TheSongOfTime777



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Canon - Manga, Canon Compliant, Canon Het Relationship, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:42:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23389702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSongOfTime777/pseuds/TheSongOfTime777
Summary: My interpretation of the events in the manga starting after the revival of the Kishin.Song lyrics are "Eclipsed" by Evans Blue
Relationships: Marie Mjolnir/Franken Stein
Comments: 5
Kudos: 29
Collections: Frankencense and Myrrh





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My interpretation of the events in the manga starting after the revival of the Kishin.
> 
> Song lyrics are "Eclipsed" by Evans Blue

_We love our tragedies.  
We're both broken in our own little ways  
We're broken, but we fit together just right  
You know I saw the black inside your eyes  
I saw they were eclipsed by mine and they looked just right._

* * *

It had been over ten years since Marie Mjolnir had last seen Franken Stein, and although she had anticipated his appearance changing at least a little (after all, who _doesn’t_ change over the course of a decade?), she hadn’t expected the long scar running across one side of his face (and the other scars that she suspected covered other parts of his body). And she certainly hadn’t expected the giant bolt going through his head. And it figured that he had gotten even taller than he had been previously. 

Still, she could see that he was still the same Stein from so long ago: quiet, reserved, analytical, a bit too interested in dissection (she assumed that’s where the scars had come from). Yes, this was still the same boy with the silver hair, now a grown man, who had been one of her closest friends, back when they had been DWMA students and partners. Back when she had two working eyes, before she had lost one of them during their battle against a witch that had turned her into a Death Scythe. Back when she had harbored feelings toward him that only Azusa had known about (“Wasn’t he your first love?” Azusa had asked her when they first saw him, thankfully at a quiet enough volume that said first love couldn’t overhear). Back before she had had to leave Death City, and him, and everyone else she had known, for her posting in Oceania...

Suddenly he was standing next to her. His voice broke her out of her musings. “I thought you were going to retire after you became a Death Scythe,” he said.

She placed her hand on his shoulder, suddenly feeling depressed. “… Don’t mention it....”

* * *

Lord Death has assigned her to be Stein’s partner again, which wasn’t what she had been hoping since she really wanted to avoid doing anything that might interfere with finding a boyfriend. But in the end, she must obey her boss. After all, she was only one of eight Death Scythes, and the Kishin was an ever-present threat to the peace they had grown accustomed to. At least she has been assigned to a Meister that she already knows well and that she is compatible with. And she has always liked children, she thinks, as she watches some of the students play basketball together, so the idea of becoming a teacher at the academy wasn’t entirely unpleasant. 

She stretches her arms above her head. “Alright. Even though I don’t have a boyfriend, I might as well do some work.” She realizes that she will have to find a place to live if she is going to be staying in the city long-term. “Oh! That’s right... This is a little sudden... Until I can find an apartment, let me stay at your place. Since it’s a lab it should be pretty big right?” She wonders if perhaps this is a bit too presumptuous of her, but he immediately agrees to let her stay, with the caveat that she may wake up to find herself dissected. Ah, so his sense of humor also hadn’t changed at all. “I trust you,” she replies simply, because she does.

* * *

Because things seemed so normal when she first arrived, she almost forgot the real reason that she had been assigned as Stein’s partner. But with each passing day and week since the Kishin’s revival, the madness wavelength in the world was steadily increasing. There were times that Stein was not his normal self, the latent madness within him exacerbated by the Kishin’s madness. Marie would do her best to be in his general vicinity in case she ever needed to intervene. She would regularly bring him tea (always in a beaker), she would set herself up to grade papers at one of the empty benches in his lab, or she would read books and magazines in the room adjacent to the lab. Sometimes just the act of entering the same room as him was enough to snap him out of whatever state he was in. He would simply reach up to turn the bolt in his head a few rotations and they would enter a conversation as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn’t just been staring at a blank computer screen while laughing maniacally, or he hadn’t just been sitting in a dark room staring at the walls or the ceiling.

However, there were other times when he wouldn’t just snap out of it, so she would quietly approach, so as not to startle him, and place her hand on the top of his head or on the back of his neck, channeling her wavelength into him, her soul tentatively reaching out to his. Every time this happened, he would immediately tense, but then he would recognize her presence, and her calming wavelength would start having its effect. His head would fall forward and his shoulders would relax, and the two of them would just stay in that position. Sometimes it would be a brief moment, less than a minute, before he would lift his head and Marie would offer to go make tea or start straightening up things around the room. Other times his soul would tentatively respond to hers and they would resonate, and he would let out a sigh of relief, the madness would finally be at bay.

“Thanks,” he always said softly, head still drooped forward. 

And she would always reply, “Of course” with a soft smile on her face, ruffling his hair affectionately before she leaving the room.

* * *

The mission to retrieve BREW had started out well enough. Their group reached the Tempest in the center of the island without mishap, and the two of them entered the magnetic field after confirming the plan with the students. However, things started going wrong within minutes of them entering. Stein had been walking toward the large pyramid in the center of the island with Marie in hand in her weapon form. When they tried to resonate to active Izuna, he suddenly froze. She clattered to the ground as his hands came up to clutch his face. She immediately transformed back and rushed to his side, concerned. Stein grabbed a nearby pillar, breathing heavily. This was one of the worst states she had ever seen him in.

“Franken! Get ahold of yourself!” she shouted, trying to get through to him.

She tried using her wavelength, but when she reached out to resonate with him once again, Stein dropped to his knees. Feeling helpless, all she could do was try to reach through to him by talking to him. As she attempted to tend to Stein, Maka, BlackStar, and Kid approached them with their weapons in tow. As much as it pained her to do so, Marie reluctantly agreed that she and Stein needed to leave the magnetic field before they turned into afterimages, and that the students were now the DWMA’s best hope of securing BREW. 

The two of them slowly made their way back, Stein leaning heavily on her for support. Finally, they emerged on the other side of the magnetic field, and her fear and worry increased even more when the remaining students from their group entered the field to assist the others, despite her threatening them with expulsion. In the end she could do nothing but drop to the ground next to Stein. 

“How silly... expulsion... As if a junior instructor like me has that authority... On top of that, it’s not like the threat of expulsion would stop them...” She started to cry. 

Stein grasped her hand and squeezed it, briefly appearing to be his normal self. “Don’t cry Marie... The plan’s failure... everything... I’m responsible for all of it.” 

His lucidity didn’t last long, and once again he was overcome with madness, laughing maniacally while flailing on the ground. Setting aside her fear for her students, she wiped away her tears and focused her attention on Stein, hoping she could get through to him without using soul resonance. Wordlessly, she removed her gloves and laid one hand on his forehead. The laughter died down and his movements stopped, but his eyes were still wide and manic, darting around. She placed her other hand on his cheek and closed her eyes. “Come back, Franken,” she whispered, thumb stroking his cheek, tracing over the scar there.

They stayed liked that for a long time, Marie continuing to whisper his name and stroke his face. Eventually Stein closed his eyes and sighed her name. “Marie...” 

When he opened his eyes again, she offered him a tired smile. “Hey there,” she said softly.

“I’m s-” he started.

She cut him off. “Shh, don’t you dare blame yourself. I’m just glad you’re okay.” She realized that her hand was still on his face and, blushing, she removed it, suddenly focusing more attention than necessary on putting her gloves back on. 

Stein raised himself up into a seated position and immediately propped himself up against a nearby wall, the effort of doing so seeming to deplete his remaining energy. 

Marie noticed that he seemed completely drained. “Let’s rest here until the students return,” she suggested.

Stein closed his eyes and nodded, resting his head back against the wall. 


	2. Chapter 2

_When our lights meet, will you know me then?  
And will you want to know it?  
It feels like I've known you for so long.  
When our lights meet, will you want me then?  
and will you ever know it?  
It seems like you've known me for so long._

* * *

After the BREW mission, an internal investigation into Stein’s collapse inside the tempest was initiated. Stein remained at home in the lab, still mentally and physically recovering from the mission, having had to be carried back to the boat by Sid. 

During her interview with her ex, erm...with Joe, it was revealed that Marie herself had been bugged with some kind of magic that had wrapped itself around her soul. She had no idea how long that object had been inside her body and part of her felt violated. Another part of her felt guilty for not sensing something like that in her own body and for inadvertently contributing to Stein’s steady decline over the past few weeks. 

Then Stein came under suspicion for planting the bug in her, and his recovery at home suddenly turned into a house arrest while the source of the bug was determined. Logically, it made sense to suspect him. They lived together, they worked together, they went on missions together. He had the most access to her and spent the most time with her of anyone else in the DWMA. But her faith in him did not waiver, because she knew him better than anyone else, and certainly better than Joe knew him. Even though he seemed to spend more time in a state of madness than he did in a state of lucidity since they had returned from the mission, she never once suspected him.

She knew she couldn’t avoid having a non-work-related conversation with Joe forever, so in an attempt to speed up the process and get things over with, she brought him a cup of coffee after the interviews were completed. She didn’t expect him to be the one to bring up their break up, but he launched into an explanation of why he broke up with her when his Soul Perception ability became stronger. Well... that certainly was not how she had pictured this conversation going. She realized he was still talking to her and that he had asked her out to dinner. She figured she might as well go. She did like the soufflé there, and it would be good to have closure on that chapter of her life. Plus, even though their relationship had ended years ago, she would always care about him as a friend. 

* * *

The sound of someone knocking on the door snapped Stein out of the trance he had been in. The room was dark and filled with a smoky haze. How long had he been sitting there smoking? What time was it? How long had it been since he had been up at the academy for questioning?

The knock sounded again. He opened the door to find Spirit and Sid. “BJ has been killed. Stein, we’re here to arrest you.”

...

Marie left a generous tip for the poor waiter who had been stuck dealing with her for hours while she waited for Joe, who apparently had had a change of heart. She sighed as she stepped out of the restaurant, surprised to see Naigus approaching her. 

“Marie, something has happened. It’s BJ...”

...

When they arrived at a graveyard, Stein looked at Sid and Spirit in confusion. “This is... weren’t you going to take me to Shinigami-Sama?” He heard footsteps approaching. When he turned, he saw Naigus and...

“Marie...” he said softly. Her eye was lowered but he could see that it was puffy and red from crying. He looked at Spirit. “Is it true that BJ was killed?”

“Yeah,” Spirit answered. “His chest was cut open with a sharp object, his heart was destroyed. It seemed to be an instant death... His soul was gone too. Even though we’re in a graveyard we won’t grieve...” Spirit looked at him. “Stein. Those of us here don’t think you were the culprit.”

...

While Spirit and Sid spoke to Stein, explaining that they were helping him escape so he could clear his name, Marie and Naigus stood several feet away, speaking quietly.

“Marie, do you really want to go with Stein? I understand the feeling of wanting to destroy BJ’s killer. But if you follow him your happiness is nowhere... Stein doesn’t love.”

Marie understands this, or she at least says she does. But how could she not go with him? He was her Meister and her partner. He was her friend. She harbored a great deal of affection for him, perhaps more than what was considered normal for a platonic friendship. But, most importantly, she truly did believe that he was innocent, that there was no way that he would have killed BJ. Given his state of mind since returning from BREW, did they honestly believe that he should go off and hunt for the killer, someone who clearly tried to frame him, alone? And did they think that she would be okay with this plan? She shook her head, made up some excuse that she had promised Joe to look out for Stein, then placed her hand on Stein’s shoulder. “Let’s go, Stein.”

...

They left the graveyard and started walking away from Death City, neither of them speaking, each too lost in their own thoughts. They walked for hours, trying to put distance between themselves and the city in case there were people who _actually_ believed in his guilt that were trying to arrest him. Stein glanced over at Marie, as he had done so periodically since they left the grave yard. The initially determined expression on her had been gradually slipping, and he could tell she was trying her hardest not to cry. Even now, she felt that she had to be the stronger one, ready to intervene in case he was overcome with madness. No, not tonight, he thought.

“Do you mind if we rest here for a moment?” he asked. 

They had reached the edge of a small wooded area. Marie nodded and walked over to a large tree so she could lean against it. As soon as she did, the emotional weight from the entire day crashed down on her and she choked out a sob. Stein approached her silently and placed his hand softly on the top of her head, applying gentle pressure to guide her toward him. Marie buried her face in his shirt and sobbed. Even though she no longer loved BJ, he had at one point been an important person in her life and he had been her friend. And for anyone to be killed in such a manner would have been upsetting. Stein stood there and let her cry, not noticing, or perhaps not caring about, the fact that his shirt was getting soaked with tears. His other hand came up and started tentatively rubbing her back, not knowing what else he could do to help her. It was bad enough that he had been accused of murder, but for someone to cause Marie such grief when she was normally so happy and warm and giving was unforgivable in his book – he vowed to make them pay. He drew her closer with the hand that was rubbing her back, then wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head, content to stand there for as long as she wanted.

* * *

After that night at the tree, something shifted in their relationship, although neither of them consciously realized it. It started with occasional subconscious touches: Marie would rest her hand on Stein’s shoulder or touch his arm while telling him something a lot more frequently, and Stein would place his hand on Marie’s lower back while guiding her toward something or simply grab her hand and pull her toward their destination. This eventually led to Stein draping his arm over Marie’s shoulders when they were seated next to each other, or Marie leaning over to rest her head on his shoulder. And sometimes one of them would catch the other’s eyes lingering on them when they thought the other wasn’t looking. If it was Marie, she would immediately avert her gaze when caught, her cheeks turning slightly pink. Stein’s glances always conveniently seemed to be hidden behind a glare on the lenses of his glasses.

One night, a few weeks after they had left Death City, they were sitting together by the fire, having settled into a spot to camp for the evening. Tomorrow they were planning to meet with a contact who might have a lead as to who killed BJ. Marie was seated with her knees pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs, with her head leaning against Stein’s shoulder. They sat in companionable silence, listening to the crackling of the flames.

“Marie?”

“Hm?”

He hesitated, staring into the fire. “... why did you come with me? Was it just because of a promise to BJ?” 

Marie tilted her head back slightly so she could look up at him, but he didn’t meet her gaze. “No, that’s just the excuse that I gave to Mira. I came with you because I knew you possibly couldn’t have ... done what they accused you of doing, and because I care about you, of course.”

“Oh... I see....” He continued to stare at the fire, contemplating her answer. He said nothing else for a few minutes, then, “Marie?”

She giggled and looked up at him again. “Yeah?”

He turned his head away slightly away from her and averted his eyes downward. Marie noticed his hands fidgeting. “I.... care about you too,” he said quietly. 

Marie reached for one of his hands and laced her fingers through his, giving his hand a squeeze. Slowly, Stein turned to look at her and saw she was smiling, her eye sparkling. It was the happiest he had seen her look since they left Death City. Without hesitating, he reached over with his other hand and cupped her face. She leaned into his touch, her eye closing. 

“Marie,” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, “would it be okay if... I kissed you?”

She opened her eye and gazed at him tenderly, nodding. Gracing her with one of his rare smiles, he closed the distance between them and brought his lips to hers. It was the sweetest, most gentle kiss Marie had ever experienced. As the moon watched from its perch in the night sky, and the fire beside them ever so slowly died down, gentle kisses turned into gentle caresses, and, like their souls had done on so many occasions before, two bodies became one.


	3. Chapter 3

_I love your analogies.  
We're both crazy in our own little ways  
We talk about the future and our past lives.  
I know I loved you then.  
I know I'd love you now.  
I know I'll love you then.  
I know I love you now._

* * *

The meeting with the contact the following day ended up being fruitful, and they now knew that their target was Justin Law. _Justin_. Their colleague. Marie’s fellow Death Scythe. _A kid._ Now, he was nothing but a murderer. Neither of them had ever been close friends with him, given the rather large gap in their ages, but he had always been friendly at work gatherings, and he had always seemed so devoted to Lord Death, more than anyone else they had ever met. It was the last person anyone would have suspected. 

But there were too many coincidences for it be anyone else, so their days were now spent trying to track down his location. At the very least, they were hoping to get a confession recorded that they could present as proof of Stein’s innocence, but if it just so happened that they were able to apprehend him, then even better. Their days were also spent training together, trying to gradually improve Stein’s endurance while using Izuna. 

At night, though, their time was spent taking comfort in each other, physically and emotionally, allowing them to temporarily forget about their circumstances: the fact that they were hunting down their friend’s killer and said killer was their colleague; the fact that someone had framed Stein for the murder and that they had to prove his innocence if they ever wanted to return home; the fact that they had been away from Death City for months and hadn’t slept in a proper bed in as many days. The fact that they had blatantly defied (and continued to defy) Lord Death’s rule that _very strongly_ discouraged Meisters and Weapons from becoming romantically involved. 

Eventually they were able to track down their target as he headed back toward Death City and they intercepted him before he reached the city limits. Using Izuna, they had the clear advantage. Unfortunately, they did not anticipate Justin escaping using an artifact. As the last remnants of the burnt paper drifted away in the breeze, Marie left her weapon form and appeared next to Stein. “Damnit...”

“I know, just when we were starting to have some fun,” Stein said dryly, intentionally grinning in a menacing way. He reached into his pocket and stopped the recorder that had been running since they confronted Justin and handed it to her. “At least we have proof that he killed BJ.” 

Marie sighed. “You’re right.” She reached for his hand and looked up at him with a smile. “Let’s go home.”

* * *

They headed straight to the Death Room upon returning to Death City, where Lord Death and Spirit were both waiting. Spirit and Azusa had both been working hard to investigate BJ’s death and had reached the same conclusion as Stein and Marie. This was extremely handy since the tape recording of Justin’s confession ended up being nothing more than five minutes of background noise, so all they had to offer was the information provided by the contact they had met with.

Spirit made a joke about them being on a honeymoon, and since they weren’t exactly being open about their relationship yet, Marie responded by vehemently protesting while Stein merely laughed. Only Marie knew his laugh was less “Hahaha, that’s a good joke, Senpai” and more “Hahaha, if only you knew how close to the truth you are.”

After their return, they easily fell back into their old routine and many things were the same as before they left, before BREW had wreaked havoc with Stein’s sanity. Only now some of their evenings (the ones that Stein did not spend in his lab doing experiments until the crack of dawn) were spent in much closer proximity to each other, and they all ended with the two of them sleeping in the same bed. Even the nights that he stayed up late in the lab ended with him quietly slipping into bed, pulling Marie’s body back against his bare chest and burying his face in her hair.

Yes, there was a war going on. Yes, the Kishin was still there, his madness still causing chaos in the world, but Stein and Marie were still able to find a state of relative contentment. And while there were still times where the madness would tighten its grip on Stein sanity, and Marie would have to use her healing wavelength to help bring him out of it, they were occurring less frequently, likely helped by the fact that he now spent his nights in much closer proximity to Marie’s calming presence and wavelength, and the fact that he was actually getting regular sleep that wasn’t plagued by madness-fueled nightmares.

* * *

One thing that had happened while Stein and Marie were off hunting for BJ’s killer was that Kid had been captured in the Book of Eibon by someone called Noah. A few weeks after they returned, the two found themselves on a mission with Sid and Naigus to meet up with Tezca, who had tracked down Noah’s location. Unfortunately, things were rocky from the get-go. Almost as soon as they stepped foot within Noah’s hideout, they were attacked by Noah and the creatures he summoned from his book. Tezca was killed instantly, his head completely detached from the rest of his body. There wasn’t even time for them to mourn for their colleague. Sid lost an arm when he pushed Marie out of harm’s way, and things turned from bad to worse when Justin showed up. 

By the time BlackStar and the others emerged from the Book of Eibon with Kid in tow, the four of them had all sustained serious injuries. Before the students could intervene, Noah managed to target Marie again, his blow sending her flying toward a large stone pillar. Stein yelled her name and leapt to place himself between her and the pillar, cradling her in his arms and cushioning the blow. However, between that attack and the ones from Justin, Marie had already sustained a lot of damage and she fell in a heap onto the ground.

With Noah now completely occupied with fighting the students, Sid and Stein turned to Justin, ready to engage in battle and defend their weapons even though they were both injured. Justin, however, did not have any interest in fighting them, having realized the location of the Kishin and leaving. The two Meisters could only watch and tend to their partners while the students fought Noah. When the fight was over and Noah had been defeated, Sid and Stein picked up their respective partners and carried them back to Death City. Sid had to throw Naigus over his shoulder due to his detached arm while Stein opted to carry Marie bridal style. 

When they returned to the DWMA, Stein immediately tended to Sid’s detached arm and the weapons’ injuries before tending to his own. Thankfully none of their injuries were life-threatening, but Marie would need to remain on bed rest for at least a week while she recovered from the internal injuries she had sustained at the hands of Noah and Justin. For now, she was still under the sedation that he had administered before her surgery. Stein had Marie transferred to his care at Patchwork Labs when he had finished tending to the others. Once she was settled in, he pulled a chair as close to her bedside as he was able and dropped into it, mentally and physically exhausted. He leaned over so that he could rest his head on his arms near her hand on the bed, and immediately fell asleep, one of his hands gently cradling hers.

* * *

Several days after they returned home from the encounter with Noah, Stein got the news that he had to go to Moscow with some of the Spartoi for an assignment. Apparently Crona had appeared and challenged the Death Scythe stationed there, and as a result both Tsar and Fyodor had succumbed to madness and were currently encased in the black blood.

Marie was still recovering from her injuries and was not going to be able to accompany him on the mission. Stein tried to assure her that he would be okay. After all, the purpose of the mission was to have Maka and Kim use their purifying and healing wavelengths on those who needed care, so they weren’t anticipating any battles. Really, it seemed like he was going to be there as more of a chaperone. Plus, if something did happen, he would be able to use Soul or Jackie as a weapon if it came down to him needing one. 

Still, Marie worried the entire time that he was away. What if something happened and he didn’t come home? She felt helpless and useless. He was her partner, in more ways than one now, and it was her duty to protect him. But all she could do in her current state was pace around the living room, worrying, waiting.

When she heard the front door open 4 days later, she all but sprinted to the living room to meet him, immediately tackling him in a hug. He dropped his bag to the ground and his arms went around her, holding her close. Marie didn’t seem inclined to let go of him any time soon.

“Hey,” he said softly, his hand tilting her face up to look at him, thumb stroking her cheek, “I told you I’d be fine.” 

“As if that would stop me from worrying about you,” she said with a smile, leaning into his touch with her eye closed. 

He leaned down and kissed her, then rested his forehead against hers.

“I love you,” she whispered, then realizing what she said, she blushed and averted her gaze. 

His eyes widened slightly for a moment, then he smiled. He kissed her again, one of his hands running from her shoulders down to her lower back and pulling her closer, the other still stroking her face. His soul reached out to hers and they connected instantly. The intensity of their resonance was stronger than usual and she gasped in surprise. Stein took advantage and deepened the kiss, and the hand on her face moved to bury itself in her hair. Marie grabbed the lapels of his coat, trying to pull him even closer. 

He guided them toward the couch, still kissing her. When the back of his legs hit the couch, they finally broke apart, both breathing more heavily than before. She heard him quietly say, “I love you too” before he lowered himself onto the couch and pulled her down with him. 

* * *

Some weeks passed before the Kishin was finally located. It was decided that a team of Death Scythes and their Meisters, as well as Kid, would go to the moon via an airship. The preparations began and summons were sent to the Death Scythes that had remained on other continents. To say that the mission was going to be risky was an understatement. Lord Death gave everyone copies of their wills and told them to make sure that they were up to date.

One night, after spending the day at the academy helping with the preparations for the mission, the two of them were walking back to Patchwork Labs when Stein abruptly stopped walking. He turned to her and grabbed her hand. “Marie, will you go somewhere with me before we head home?” he asked.

“Of course,” she replied with a smile, always happy to spend time with him.

He said nothing, but started walking again, not letting go of her hand. He brought them to a nearby park. It was empty at this time of night, so there was no sound save for their footsteps and the slight rustle of leaves in the breeze. They sat down on one of the benches, looking up at the stars in the clear night sky. Marie was curious about why they were there, but she didn’t say anything. She figured he would talk when he was ready to. His hands fidgeted in the pockets of his coat.

Finally, he spoke. “The mission to the moon... are you worried?”

She sighed. “Of course I’m worried. I don’t want anything to happen to anyone, or to you...” her voice trailed off into a whisper, her eye shining with unshed tears.

He put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. “Hey, I’ll be fine. _We’ll_ be fine.”

She leaned into him. “I’m sure you’re right, but it’s impossible not to worry,” she said quietly.

He hummed in agreement, planting a kiss on her head. “You know... I’ve been thinking a lot about this upcoming mission as well...”

“Oh?”

The hand still in his pocket fidgeted again, and he returned his gaze up to the sky. “Having to look over my will has ... made me realize that there are things that I want to do before the mission ... in case something happens while we’re up there. I was hoping I could do one of those things tonight. But I ... need your help.” He turned to look at her. “Will you do something for me?”

Marie was confused, unsure what she was getting herself into. “What do you want me to do?” she asked. Stein slowly let out a breath, the fidgeting of his hand continued. “Franken?”

He brought his hand out of his pocket and grabbed one of hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. He looked her directly in the eye. “Marry me?”

Marie felt like she stopped breathing. She couldn’t speak so she settled for nodding emphatically, then put both her hands on the side of his face and kissed him. 

That night they were married right in the park in a small ceremony that Azusa, sworn to secrecy by the two of them, agreed to perform. They didn’t dress up (although Stein at least didn’t wear his lab coat), they didn’t have any rings, and there was no one else invited, but it didn’t matter to them. Azusa smiled as she watched the couple walk back in the direction of Patchwork Labs, not the least bit surprised that her friend had managed to worm her way into the heart of the quirky scientist.

* * *

The next day the two Death Scythes from East Asia and Africa arrived, and Marie and Azusa led them to the Death Room where the others were waiting. Marie announced their arrival then went to stand in between Stein and Kid. She wanted nothing more than to grab Stein’s hand, but instead she clasped her hands behind back, fidgeting. Lord Death addressed them as a group.

“As soon as the preparations are complete we will leave. In the mean time, you should meet with the people you want to say goodbye to.”

They each handed their updated wills to Spirit then left, Marie and Stein heading back to Patchwork Labs. She could already tell that he was agitated, the madness once again starting to loosen his grip on reality. Needing a distraction, she went to the kitchen to make tea while he went to his lab. She could hear him laughing as the kettle started to boil, the whistle of the steam somehow managing to sound more pleasant than the alternative. 

As she approached the doorway to the lab, she heard him talking to himself out loud, a twisted grin on his face, his hand coming up to turn the bolt in his head once, twice, three times. Sighing quietly, she put the tray containing mugs of tea that she didn’t even want to drink down on a nearby table. Then, with what were now well-practiced and familiar motions, she quietly walked up behind him and put one hand on the back of his neck, the other on top of his head. She leaned her head forward so her forehead also rested on his head. He immediately calmed, the mask of madness slipping from his face as his eyes closed. 

“Thanks,” he said quietly. Marie came around his chair to lean against the front of his desk. She simply smiled and ran her hand through his hair fondly. “Do you... want to talk about tomorrow?” he asked her.

She adamantly shook her head no and said softly, “I don’t want to spend tonight being sad or worried. I just want to spend time with you, if that’s okay?”

He offered her a smile then pushed his chair back away from the desk, patting his lap. She sat down across his lap, legs dangling off the side of the chair, arms coming around his neck. Stein planted a kiss on her cheek. “Hold on,” he advised her, adjusting the angle of the chair then launching the chair out of the room and toward their bedroom. Marie shrieked and tightened her hold on him, then laughed. For once, the chair did not catch in the doorway.


	4. Chapter 4

_But you can't have everything you want when you want it.  
I will be everything you want, when you want it._

_Wait for me. Trust for me.  
Fall for me. Even when you don't know you're falling for me.  
Will you fall for it? If it should, it'll come around again.  
But don't wait for me. And don't trust in me. Don't fall me.  
Even when you know you're falling for me._

* * *

The battle on the moon started before the airship even landed. Stein had warned Marie that the intensity of the madness wavelength on the moon would likely affect him beyond the capabilities of her calming wavelength, and that unfortunately seemed to be proving accurate. Occasionally though she would get glimpses of the Stein she knew - her partner, her husband - which reassured her that deep down he was still himself, even if he was having way too much fun destroying all of those Clowns.

Then Justin showed up, his appearance a dramatic departure from the kid that they had just fought at Noah’s hideout. They activated Izuna immediately and hoped Stein would be able to end the fight before reaching the limits of his endurance. These were the risks they had to be willing to take, especially since Justin was fused with one of the clowns. He continuously bombarded Stein with attacks, trying to catch him in a shackle or guillotine, but Stein was able to dodge them and land several strong attacks of his own. Justin coughed up blood then started screaming about madness and order, questioning how someone with Stein’s level of madness could fight for the side of order. Marie and Stein resonated and landed the decisive blow, Marie’s weapon formed transformed into the shape of a triquetra.

“THIS IS FOR BJ!” Marie screamed. And the former Death Scythe was no more.

“Justin... right up to the end you didn’t understand a thing... Your loneliness is what caused you to be crushed by order and succumb to madness...” _I should know,_ he thought, knowing how easily their roles could have been reversed. 

There was no time to celebrate their victory. Stein had to immediately leap to defend Kid from an attacker while Kid was trying to receive orders from Lord Death via one of the crew members. Kid protested vehemently, unaware of why it was necessary for him to be the one to return to Earth. Stein did know, however, and told Kid he should go and take the injured with him. He then released Marie from his grip, causing her to leave her weapon form.

She looked at him in confusion. “Stein?”

He didn’t turn around. “It seems I’m already at my limit for using Izuna. Take Kid, and take care of the injured as well.” When she didn’t respond he urged her, “Hurry, the clowns are recovering again!”

She wanted to protest, tell him that she wasn’t leaving him alone. “But...”

Then he turned to face her, looking like himself for the first time since they landed on the moon, like the man who had asked her to marry her on the park bench two days ago. He made a fist and touched it to her hip, wishing he could do more to comfort her but knowing the current circumstances didn’t allow it. His thumb stroked her side and he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine,” he promised, echoing his words from the other night. 

She held his gaze for a moment longer, then turned away. “I understand. Let’s go, Kid.”

Later, when the injured had all been gathered and Kid had spoken with Lord Death, she did her best to put on a brave front, telling Kid that Spirit and the other Death Scythes would be able to handle keeping the clowns at bay while they launched the airship, then convincing him that he needed to stay put as the ship pulled away from the moon. Once Kid had calmed down, she stared out the window, trying to find Stein amid the chaos below that was gradually getting smaller and smaller. She turned and walked briskly away, going below the main deck and finding an isolated spot behind some crates. She buried her face in her hands and cried, praying that wouldn’t be the last time she saw her husband again.

* * *

The screeching noise filling the atmosphere of the moon was going to slowly drive everyone to madness. They had defeated the clowns, thanks to the witches, but then Crona has shown up, consuming the Kishin using their black blood. Now, those that remained on the moon were all but immobilized by the maddening noise being emitted by the demon sword. There was no way that they would all be able to resist for much longer.

Free used his spatial magic to transport everyone susceptible to Ragnorok’s screeching to the DWMA training forest, with a few unintended individuals in tow. Kid immediately summoned his skateboard and took off for the moon, Liz and Patty in tow. The rest of them could only stand and watch as he flew away.

Stein searched for Marie, locating her toward the back of the crowd. She was standing with with Azusa, but he could tell that she was scanning the crowd for him. When she noticed him, he heard her excuse herself from Azusa, then she rushed over to him. Stein wrapped her in a hug and heard her sigh happily.

“You know,” she said, pulling away slightly to look up at him, “if you keep coming back each time you say that you’ll be fine, I might start actually believing it.”

He chuckled, planting a quick kiss on the top of her head. When he glanced up at the moon, his face grew serious as one of the teeth in the moon’s mouth fell out. “What in the world is happening on the moon?”

* * *

Azusa reported that the group on the moon was now actively fighting the Kishin, so the group gathered in the DWMA training forest started making plans for how they could possibly help. It was decided that long range weapons would be fired at the Kishin using a combination of Eruka’s arithmetic magic and Azusa’s sight abilities, and Free would be on hand to quickly relocate them in case of retaliation from the Kishin.

Marie grabbed Stein’s hand and pulled him away from the group. “I want you to use Izuna to throw me at the Kishin,” she said quickly, readying herself for some sort of protest from Stein. 

“Okay, if that’s what you want.”

“But – wait what?”

“If that’s what you want to do, I’ll support you. If it were possible for me to get back there, I would already have left just like Kid did.”

She stared at him. “Franken...”

He looked around for a moment then nodded toward an area a little ways away. “Let’s go over there for a second.” He led her behind a large tree, grabbed her face and kissed her, hard. Marie let out a small squeak of surprise, but instinctively grabbed the lapels of his lab coat, pulling him closer. 

He eventually pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. “You’d better come back to me,” he said quietly. 

They returned to the group, heading over to Azusa to inform her of their plan. Azusa gave Stein an ear piece so he could receive instructions from Eruka and Marie transformed into her weapon form. Their souls resonated and Marie activated Izuna. 

“This is Stein, Marie’s preparations are complete. Give me coordinates!” 

Eruka transmitted the coordinates into Stein’s brain.

“I’ll show you the true essence of Mjolnir!” Marie yelled.

“Marie, here we go!” Stein reared back and threw as hard as he could. 

As he watched her form sail away from him, rapidly growing smaller, he clenched his fists, praying that he hadn’t just sent his wife to her death.

* * *

Stein could only stand and stare at the moon. He tried using Soul Perception to determine whether Marie was okay but between the distance and the Kishin’s madness, all he could get were random glimpses of her soul. Azusa also provided updates as best she could but there were limits even to her abilities. They all stood there and watched for hours. 

Suddenly Azusa gasped. “The black blood...” she couldn’t finish. Within a few minutes everyone else could see what she had: a giant wave of black blood started engulfing the moon and within minutes, the moon was completely covered. Everyone stood there, horrified.

Stein’s face drained of what little color it had. He fell to his knees. “No!” he yelled. He felt like someone had his chest in a vice grip. He couldn’t breathe. “Marie...” he whispered. Desperate, he used Soul Perception again, acknowledging that it was probably futile, but needing to know, needing to be sure... His eyes flew open and he jumped to his feet.

“Stein, what is it?” Azusa asked.

“Their souls... I can sense them again...” Without another word, he started sprinting toward the academy.

Marie was already headed in his direction by the time he got time got to the large staircase that led up to the academy, and she started running faster when she saw him. Stein immediately pulled her into his arms, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

“I thought you were dead,” he whispered.

Marie closed her eye, fighting back tears. “So did I. If the witches hadn’t...” she trailed off.

Stein said nothing, tightening his hold on her, trying not to think about what would have happened.

She squeezed him tighter. “Let’s go home, Franken.”

* * *

That night Stein laid awake unable to sleep, thinking about how he had almost lost the woman asleep in his arms, unable to forget the sheer terror that he had felt when the moon had been engulfed in the black blood. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her bare shoulder before burying his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent, his thumb softly stroking the silky skin on her hip. He closed his eyes and used Soul Perception again, needing that confirmation that she was here, that she was truly okay. What he saw made him inhale sharply. There, in addition to Marie’s bright yellow soul was another, tinier soul. This one was light blue in color and nestled in her lower abdomen. The hand that he had on her hip tentatively moved to her stomach, resting right above where the soul seemed to be. He observed the tiny soul with a feeling of pure awe. “We’re going to parents,” he thought. Surprisingly the idea didn’t fill him with fear like he always assumed it would.

Marie stirred in her sleep, turning to face him. “Franken,” she asked sleepily, “is everything okay?”

He kissed her softly. “Better than okay. In fact, I’ve just made an exciting discovery.”

Marie opened her eye slightly. “What could you have possibly discovered at,” she checked the clock, “two AM while we are lying in bed?”

He chuckled. “Well... I just noticed” he grabbed her hand and started moving it, “that there is a tiny soul... right here,” he finished, placing her hand on her stomach. 

Marie stared at her hand on her stomach for a moment, then her eye widened and her mouth dropped open. She looked up at him, noticing that he was smiling at her. “You mean I’m...We’re going to be...” She brought her hand to his face and whispered, “I love you so much,” before pulling him in for a kiss. He hummed in contentment, wrapping his arms around her, one hand stroking her back. “My Marie...” he said softly, “I love you too.” 

And so, the two of them fell asleep, dreaming about the future. For the first time in many months, the future did not seem foreboding or uncertain, something to avoid thinking about or a cause for concern. Instead, for the first time in close to a year, the future seemed full of promise.

_When our hearts meet, will we make it then.  
Will we even notice that they are eclipsed?_


End file.
